This novel tells a portion of the story of the South American wars for independence from Spanish rule in the first part of the 19th century. It takes place in Bolivia, focusing on the events around Cochabamba, and it takes the form of a memoir, written by a man who became one of the leaders of struggle looking back on his childhood during the early, disastrous years of the war. The novel is heavy on the historical events (if you don't enjoy history books, this novel won't appeal to you), told with a fair amount of drama mixed with dashes of a dry humor. Aguirre lived and wrote in the 19th century, in the same period as he sets the protagonist's older self, and you can feel the passions and fervor that infused the young nation at this time.

The translation is well-done, though it does not read as colloquial English—there is a slightly stilted quality to it that reflects the original Spanish. I have only one real objection to the effort: there are a substantial number of Spanish, Quechua and Latin words and phrases that are not translated and they are all end-noted instead of footnoted. This means the reader must continually flip to the end of the book instead of glancing at the bottom of the page.

This book attracted my attention as a starting point for this year's effort to read more Latin American and African authors because I lived for a year and half in Bolivia. I found a few nostalgic moments in the place names, the food and the descriptions of the people, and this may have colored my views more than a bit, but I enjoyed the book. I'd give it a mild recommendation. ( )